1. Settings and props
The settings used in a film are very rarely just backgrounds to the
characters' dialogue, they are more detailed and a great time and effort is put
into this. Filmmakers can choose to build a setting from scratch using the bare
walls and floors of a studio set or they can hire a location manager who will
find an appropriate setting that already exists. This location will then most
likely be altered to reflect what the filmmaker wants to convey.
Props are the objects within a setting which play a part in the action,
rather than just being part of the background. They can also help define a movie's identity - such
as the Chainsaw from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise.
Costume, hair and make up
Costume is an important part of mise-en-scene because it can be an instant
indicator to the audience about a character's personality, social status and
job. It can tell us which era a film is set in, what culture/society the film is
trying to convey and also it may foreshadow the action that character will play
in the film. Some costumes are stereotypically identified with certain genres of
film. Masks in horror have helped create iconic brand, such as the Halloween mask here from
the highly successful 70s franchise.
Make up was originally used to highlight facial features as the film would've
been shot in black and white.
Expressions and camera shots
Depending on the camera shot, there will be a different emphasis placed on facial expressions
and body language because of the range of distances. We understand that facial expression are
a clear indicator as to how someone is feeling and how small changes can send out totally
different signals. Eyes give particularly important signals to the audience as we follow the
direction of their sight so the filmmaker can draw attention to something in the frame more easily.
The way in which we move our bodies also indicates how we are thinking and feeling and as
with facial expressions, there are some elements of body language that the audience will
recognise. Some films use a more realistic approach to body language, such as crying, whereas
others will use unrealistic types of behaviour that the audience accept regardless, such as
bursting into song. This iconic scene from Paranormal Activity (2007) indicates her possession.
Lighting and colour
Lighting can aim to give a scene a realistic look or to bring out the dramatic nature of it and we
associate these different lighting styles with different genres. Lighting can be used to create a
variety of effects, such as highlighting characters or objects within a frame to draw attention to
them using a bright light source, to make a character look mysterious by shading sections of
their body/face or even alternating bright and dark light to reflect a character's confused state of
mind. The audience tends to associate certain colours with certain genres and they can easily
influence the mood of a scene. In The Ring (2004) in post production colour was filtered out to
help create literally a "darker world".

2. Positioning of characters and objects within a frame
There are various ways in which filmmakers can use positioning in a scene.
For example, if the filmmaker chooses to position a character or an object in the foreground, we
know that it is significant as the mise-en-scene has been used to direct our attention towards
them, whereas if an object or a character is in the background, it is likely to have less
significance.
A moving body against a stationary background will draw our attention to them as well.
If characters or objects are positioned evenly within the frame, the shot will feel balanced,
whereas if all the figures were on one side it would cause an imbalance for the eye. The spacing
within a shot can be used to make the audience feel settled or unsettled and therefore involve
them in the action.
Also, if the positioning of the figures draws our attention to the diagonal lines of a frame it can
imbalance the eye and once again make us feel uncomfortable.
The filmmaker can use positioning to indicate relationships as well. Hitchcock went to great
lengths with his shower scene in Psycho (1960) creating a shower with removable walls so he
could carefully place Marion Crane to create a realistic death sequence.